aimtobreak80’s Review of Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course on 9/22/16

Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course

Date: 9/22/16 Thu Morning
Overall Rating:

"Great course"
Conditions: Good - normal wear/tear
Pace: 3 1/2 Hours
Cost: Not entered
Username: aimtobreak80
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Let me start off with a disclaimer. I was invited to play a round, for free, at this course in exchange for posting a review of my experience on this website. I have made every effort to ensure that the following comments reflect an honest, objective assessment of the course condition and offerings, but I emphasize that they are my personal opinions from the point of view of a senior golfer with a handicap currently in the mid-to-upper teens. I started off talking to Wesley Jones, the General Manager, about the course, and I was greatly impressed by two things – the man truly knows his golf course and he, himself, actually plays the course on a regular basis. He believes that the course has the nicest practice facilities of any public course in the Charlotte area. I am unable, personally, to confirm or deny that, but the course does have two large putting greens (and a third, smaller green adjacent to the first tee), a driving range, and a newly installed pitching/chipping green that has large, over-sized holes to enhance the practice experience. The course is only 9 holes, but there is no short-changing the golfing experience. Personally, I often enjoy such courses because it gives me a real incentive, and truly objective measure thereof, for improving on the “second” nine holes of a round. This was true, for me, today, when armed with a little more knowledge of the layout, I scored 4 strokes better than my opening nine holes. There is a Course Guide (yardage book) available that offers good, strategic advice for managing play. The cart was a very energetic electric vehicle that operated smoothly and quietly. All teeboxes, fairways, and greens were, indeed, “green”. The greens were very good, although I never quite mastered their speed (maybe because of intermittent rain showers). The rough can best be described as short-to-moderate in length. Wesley told me his philosophy is that one should be able to see the golf ball from 50 yards away, and that certainly seemed to be true. The Pro Shop area is neat and clean, and even the on-course restroom was immaculately clean and fresh. This is not an EASY course, by any means, in spite of being only 9 holes and having relatively shorter yardage available. It is a good, challenging course that, currently, is in very good playing condition, and offers competitive rates ($29 for seniors for 18 holes and a cart). Geographically, it is a little out of the way for me, and the stop-and-go traffic on I-77 this morning made me question my desire of an early morning tee time, but I fully intend on returning to play the course “on my own dollar” (hopefully when it is a little sunnier and drier). I would heartily recommend the course to any who work in downtown Charlotte, and want to get in a quick nine either before, or after.